If you are no longer a student, whether or not you are appoved for a loan depends on credit rating, which is based on your credit history, which in turn depends on your income and your spending and repayment habits.
What if, you are a student and on top of that, you don’t have a credit rating? Will you not get a student loan? The answer is, ‘Yes you will get it’! That should not stop your from getting a student loan to pursue your education.
A loan co-signer is your first option! What if, there is no co-signer as well? Yet again, you will get it. However, in the absence of a co-signer as well, the number of loans gets limited. But, just to make you comfortable, chances are not nil.
Ways in which you can get a student loan financials without having a credit rating and a co-signer are listed below.
- Have a look at federal based student loans. If you are traditional student, the federal loans get bottle-necked with only Stafford and Perkins loans available. None of the two require any credit check.
- Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is to be filled because without FAFSA, you cannot get a government loan. FAFSA helps not only in getting government loans but also ensures that you get any applicable grant money.
- If you are a needy student then, you can apply for a Stafford Loan. So, if you fall under a low-income group and you do not have a credit rating or a cosigner, you have high chances to get the Stafford loan. Although the amount sanctioned is small, you can actually start financing your education with the money you get.
- In case your financial needs are the greatest and you can show that, applying for the Perkins loan is a plausible option. Sanctioned at 5% interest with a longer repayment term as against the Stafford loan, you can start financing your education with the Perkins loan.
- In case of non-traditional students, options increase. Although Stafford loans and Perkins loans are the only two options they qualify for, many grants and scholarships are available for those who return to colleges for more studies and to earn degrees.
You don’t need a magic wand or a genie in a lamp so that you can finance your education, all that you need is a little bit of knowledge about the student loan options available and the ability to harness them to their fullest. Try going to your school’s student loan finance center to find out more about government student loan program.
If you’re already finished school, and looking for information on how to pay off your student loan fast, take a look at “How I paid my $20,000 student loan in 2 years“.
I started freaking out a few years ago when my parents said they wouldn’t cosign on a student loan for me. It’s nice to know that the government cares about helping us with our education, and I don’t have to depend on mom and dad to do it for me.